True to myself
by Fritosaurio
Summary: "This must be a dream" Sasuke is dead or at least that's what he thinks. Is it a very elaborate genjutsu or an opportunity to rebuild his life from scratch? Sasuke-Centric
1. Chapter 1

**Warning** : I'm not a native English speaker, and this story is mainly to help me practice my English. Be afraid. :P

My native languages are Greek and Spanish; i usually mix some of the grammar, so if you are a grammar nazi, you're not welcome. But constructive criticism is welcomed :)

This story is going to be long and is also Sasuke-centric.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

.

"Am I dead?"

"This sensation… it must be…"

"Probably…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Pitiful, isn't it?"

"Ah?"

"…our lives were pitiful…"

"…"

"You had the nine tails, I was an Uchiha. We were ostracized from the village and treated like outcasts. And we resented the village and its people. Right?"

"…Sasuke…"

"I won't let you say I am wrong, Naruto. You called me your brother… in that sense, perhaps we were…"

"You are totally wrong! Damn it. You don't understand, do you!?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Sorry grandma Tsunade, I promised… I wouldn't die… until I became the hokage…"

"…"

"…wait a minute…"

"…"

"Oh yeah! The infinite Tsukuyomi!"

"What about it?"

"This is bad! The release jutsu can't be activated without us being _there_ , right?"

"We _are_ death, Naruto… and you are worried about what happens to the world?"

"Of course! We can't leave our friends like that!"

"Sakura and Kakashi still remain. They will figure something out."

"…I hope so, Sasuke"

"…"

"…"

* * *

"Naruto"

"Ah?"

"…why did you do _that_?"

"Did what?"

"Why did you went this far?"

"…"

"Why do all _that_ , just to get in my way?"

"…"

"Why give up to your dream of being hokage?"

"…"

"Why _you_ had to die?"

"…"

"… Am I that important to you?"

"You already know, don't you?"

"…"

"Cuz you are _my_ friend, Sasuke."

"…"

"…"

* * *

"Naruto"

"Ah?"

"Thank you."

"Don't worry teme, that's what the friends are for"

"…"

"…"

* * *

.

The first time he woke up, he realized something was wrong.

The fact that he woke up was exactly the problem.

Why? Well… that's because he died.

Or at least that's what he thought.

He did not really know where he was, he tried to stand up, slowly, but after several attempts he realized he couldn't move. He couldn't think clearly and everything was spinning.

Everything was dark.

As the minutes passed, he had regained consciousness, but he was unable to move, and his mind was still foggy.

He would be lying if he said that he wasn't used to this type of situations, after all, he used to be Orochimaru´s apprentice and the snake wasn't exactly a _kind_ person.

"Sasuke!"

The problem with being knocked unconscious wasn't the impact or the blood loss, Sasuke thought. It was the aftermath. He'd taken all sorts of injuries over the years - cracked ribs, broken limbs, burnt skin - but nothing quite matched up to the disorientation he fell in this kind of situations, and this was the worst of all the times he could remember.

Really, though. Waking up sucked.

If he was asked by his full name at that very moment, he was not sure he could have answered well; the only thing he was really able to remember, was ... was ... his fight with Naruto in the valley of the end.

Naruto…

"Sasuke. Sasuke." A familiar voice cut into Sasuke's consciousness. He felt a gentle and warm hand on his shoulder, shaking him.

He felt…weird. Nothing hurt, but his skin felt oddly stiff, stretched tightly over the planes of his face. He tried to speak, but his mouth was bone dry.

"Sasuke, wake up." The gentle and familiar voice came again, and Sasuke jerked upright, ignoring the pain shooting through all his body.

This voice keep calling his name and a wave of unbearable nostalgia and loss inundated him as he listened.

And then, he remembered everything. He remembered defeating Madara, Naruto's face, the violent confrontation they had and the aftermath of the war. Feeling himself succumb to chakra exhaustion and the severe wounds from their combat. He remembered losing an arm and asking _his_ friend to forgive him before losing consciousness.

Sasuke remember the way he _knew_ he was dying.

The way he regretted about the mistakes of his life and a brilliant white light, being led to an eternal slumber and being promised freedom from this cursed world and his past sins. Or, maybe, he was supposed to be sent to hell to atone for his crimes, all the innocent people he had killed or had a hand in the deaths of.

So Sasuke felt that he had pretty good reason to assume that he should be dead.

No, it was a fact. He _was_ dead.

Damn! He even remember talking with Naruto and Itachi in the afterlife!

But,

If he was dead, who was calling his name? Where was he?

Was this hell?

He tried to speak again, but he couldn't.

"Sasuke ... wake up ..." That voice had returned and he tried to stand, ignoring the numbness and pain that ran through him.

"W-here am I?" His voice felt so _wrong._

"It's good to see you wake up." Sasuke definitely recognized that voice. He turned to his right and to his surprise, he found a young man that he had never met before. That greatly disconcerted him. He had short, unkempt, dark-colored hair and a relatively broad nose and well-defined eyelashes, but the most curious feature of this mysterious man was the fact that he only had one eye and a black eye-patch covering where the other eye had been. His clothing consisted of the standard Konoha jōnin uniform with the sleeves rolled up half way, flak jacket, regular shinobi sandals and forehead protector.

Sasuke only blinked repeatedly. It was strange. He couldn't remember having met this man before, but his salutation really sounded sincere and even reflected some… Happiness? Relief?

How odd…

He would have expected all the people of konoha to be furious with him for trying to kill the dobe and all the shit he had done, including working with akatsuki, the people that destroyed the village some time ago and threatened the entire shinobi world.

"Are you ok, Sasuke?" The man asked with warm voice.

But there was a part of Sasuke that keep telling him that he could trust this man with his life, that he was safe, and yet couldn't explain the feeling.

"You have always been a real sleepyhead, huh?"

Sasuke frowned internally; on the outside he showed no emotion, he was an Uchiha, after all.

Perhaps it was true that in the past they were both shinobi from the same village, but the last time he meet with konoha shinobis before the war, they had done their best to kill him. And yet, there he was questioning him about his condition as if they were comrades. He even showed concern on his face, concern that only a father could show to his kids. So Sasuke was naturally suspicious of his intentions. Was this mysterious shinobi trying to manipulate him to return konoha?

Maybe yes, maybe no.

If so, he was going about it from a somewhat bizarre and weird angle.

"Don't worry, I am here"

Still, Konoha's shinobi were known for being very strong and capable ninja. And this guy was a jōnin. Part of Konoha's elite.

So Sasuke figured he probably should cut this man´s bullshit.

"Where is Naruto?" Sasuke asked the one-eyed man, showing no emotions on his face.

The man smiled at the random question of the little genin. "Don't worry, Sasuke-Kun. Your friend is fine. He is probably training with his father." He explained casually, keeping the warm smile on his face. "Just try to give yourself some rest and let me worry about everything else. I found you unconscious on the training grounds. Asuma, Ino and Kiba were worried when you didn't attended to your mission so they sent me to find you." He added.

Sasuke was incredulous at what he had heard. That didn't make sense, at all.

"We are in konoha? Kiba, Ino and Asuma? What do you mean: Naruto is training with his father? Naruto _is_ orphan."

The jōnin's facial expressions were difficult to read through the poker face he made, but Sasuke was able to read the rising concern on his shoulders and eyebrows.

Concern for Sasuke's well-being? Or the fact that Sasuke was worried about Naruto's well-being?

He decided he wasn't going to bother himself with that, he really couldn't care less about the lies of this man.

"I'm glad he is fine," was all he said. And this was the truth, deep inside he was really glad to hear the stupid blond was ok.

But then, he realized something. Something important.

"Wait a minute" Sasuke Said. "If you are here, that means that Kakashi and Sakura succeeded deactivating the Mugen Tsukuyomi?"

"Tsukuyomi?"

There was a slight pause, and then the sources of two other chakra signatures stepped forward.

This time, Sasuke's puzzled face became visible and his jaw opened slightly.

"Shisui-San, thank you for finding Sasuke."

When this name came to Sasuke's hears, it felt like a bucket of cold water.

He turned to his right and his eyes widened.

Oh my god…

"Kai!" He tried to do a release technique.

" ... "

" **KAI** " He repeated even louder and was at this moment that he realized something else was very wrong… he was wearing navy blue, short-sleeved shirt with a high collar, white shorts, and the white arm warmers he used to wear when he was twelve. He was about thirty centimeters shorter than he remembered being, the last time he checked.

One of the hallucinations inclined his head, obviously worried.

"Are you all right, baby cousin?" Said the one-eyed man.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and tried again to disperse the obvious genjutsu.

 **"KAI!"**

"What makes you think that this is a genjutsu Sasuke?" Calmly asked another of his hallucinations. A bearded man with a sash that had the kanji for "Fire" (火) marked on it around his waist

Sasuke surrendered on his attempting to dispel the obvious genjutsu, and for his part, he simply addressed the probable caster. "Kaguya Ōtsutsuki" He said with cold voice. The first thought that occurred to him was that all of it was a Genjutsu. But then he realized that only the Mugen Tsukuyomi could create a world so real, replicate the real world so perfectly. There was no way that a "normal" Genjutsu would have the ability to remain undetected by him, so that was the only logical explanation. But if that was the case, if Sasuke truly was in the Mugen Tsukuyomi…

That means that… they failed?

A feeling of sadness and despair began overwhelm him.

"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, huh" He repeated again. "I had hoped to be finally free of you," He said with cold and sad voice. Somehow, the mother from the sage of the six paths had found a way to escape from the seal, and somehow managed to activate the _Mugen Tsukuyomi_ without the help of the nine tailed beasts and the _gedo mazo_. Sasuke thought.

But how? This was impossible!

The two other hallucinations that turned out to be suspiciously similar to Asuma Sarutobi and a twelve year old version of Ino Yamanaka, looked at him closely.

"Wait, do you mean the same Princess Kaguya from the "Tale of the Bamboo Cutter"?" Shisui asked incredulously, his eyebrows raised to the line of his hair.

The blonde girl approached Sasuke and tried to put a hand on his forehead, but the raven-haired boy slapped Ino's hand away.

 **"Fuck you!"** There was no cheer in his voice, and his tone was one that implied that he was deadly serious. Asuma felt a feeling of discontent bubble forth. "There is nothing for me in this fake world. Nothing." A bitter grin stretched across his face and he glared up at sky, a motion that wasn't missed by any of the bystanders in the place. "You expect me to believe this shit, Kaguya!? You really think that you can trick me, Uchiha Sasuke," he gestured angrily around the place with his hand, "with _this_?"

"Sasuke, calm down… I think that maybe you hit in the head, right now we need to get you to the hospital."

"What is the point of this, Kaguya?" Sasuke demanded dully, ignoring those illusions.

"What is the point of what?" Asuma asked calmly. Trying to reason with his student.

"Trapping me in a genjutsu and showing me dead people. Who's next? Itachi? Neji?" Sasuke repeatedly shook his head, feeling warm tears stream down his cheeks, and then he began to laugh in a sick and darkly way, like a hyena. Maybe he owed Kaguya thanks after all. He didn't remember his cousin Shisui well, since Sasuke had only been 6 when he committed suicide. It was almost… nice to see the best friend of his brother after all this time, the funny and kind teen that used to play with him when his brother was in a mission. Sasuke noted distantly that Kaguya had taken the effort to include a lot of detail in this fake world. Shisui looked a _lot_ older; he appeared to be in his twenties and only had one eye. Maybe this was the reason he didn't recognized his own cousin when he first woke up. He even had the logo of Konoha's Military Police Force on his jacket and the badge of commander that his father used to wear.

Sasuke supposed that attention to detail like that was something to expect from a crazy and evil goddess like the mother from the sage.

But he wasn't one hundred percent sure why Kaguya had changed the appearance of his cousin so much.

Genjutsus were supposed to be compatible with the memories of the victim. Not _this._

"Do you remember what happened? Shisui sent a bunshin saying that he found you unconscious and needed help" Asuma said as he approached his student to take his pulse and measure his temperature.

"He is febrile and tachycardic."

"Show yourself, coward!" Sasuke demanded on the edge of having a panic attack.

"…Sasuke, I'm sorry we didn't come fast enough. What would I have to do to prove that we are real?" the Shisui hallucination asked with a concerned look.

Hallucinations trying to prove that they were real? Ha! Now Sasuke's day was complete. Well, maybe if he played along, Kaguya would tip his hand.

"What is Itachi's favorite game?" Sasuke asked, this was something that only his family could ever know.

"Sasuke, this is not funny. If this is another of your pranks, I promise…" Ino said.

Sasuke frowned when he realized that the illusions were avoiding to answer his question.

"Well… I hate to disappoint," he said as he turned to the other people around him, a sneer in place. "I'm not going to conform to your fucking illusion."

Shisui had an expression that Sasuke interpreted as, "If only this wasn't so serious I would be kicking your sorry ass back home." Sasuke was impressed with such a detailed reaction.

Later, Shisui sighed with resignation. "It's poker, but nobody plays with him anymore because Itachi always wins. The last time we played, the asshole took all of my money."

"And which is my favorite animal?"

"…the cats, and you know what else I can tell you, Mr. incredulous-kid? You have an unhealthy taste for tomatoes, you even have a tomato-shaped teddy that Itachi gave you when you were four years old. Content? Better get back before Itachi and Izumi worries, Sasuke"

Sasuke had been speechless to what Shisui had said, because it was completely true. There was no way to fake what his cousin was saying.

So this time, Sasuke panicked.

"…Either Kaguya´s genjutsu is incredibly better than I expected, or you really are Uchiha Shisui," Sasuke admitted. He paused. "But it is impossible."

"Why?" Shisui asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "Because the real Shisui has been dead since I was 6. He committed suicide. And akatsuki killed Asuma." He pointed the tall man.

Ino frowned. "Why would akatsuki kill our sensei?"

Shisui scoffed. "Yeah, like hell that would ever happen. Yahiko might be a bastard sometimes but he is a really nice person when you get to know him, and Nagato is a close friend of Hokage-Sama" He frowned. "And I would never commit suicide" he looked to the twelve years old boy and change to a deadly serious tone. "Who told you those things?"

Sasuke had begun to grow impatient. "From what I understand, you committed suicide in order to help Itachi activate the Mangekyō Sharingan and stop the _coup_ ; I never learned the rest of the story."

Shisui was speechless at what his little cousin was saying, because there was no possible way in the world that a little kid knew about the Mangekyō Sharingan or the failed coup. He tried to talk again but remained silent.

The two other carefully watched the twelve-year-old boy standing in front of them. What he was saying made no sense, at all, especially the last part, the one in which he mentioned the evil goddess from a kid's story who had trapped him in a genjutsu and was tormenting him.

That was just _crazy._

After a pause, Ino intervened.

"Have you considered the possibility that this is not a genjutsu, but some hallucination caused by a drug or having hit your head?"

Sasuke thought for a moment. "I suppose you have a point." He allowed himself to yield a little to his argument. "Yet I do not understand the purpose of _this_. After all, the last thing I remember was dying, none of this makes sense." Suddenly he was hit by a wave of exhaustion. "No ... it doesn't makes sense ..." he mumbled to himself, as he felt his vision starting to tunnel.

"Sasuke... Sasuke! Sensei, catch him!" Ino shouted at the same time she began to see the way her teammate started to stagger and everything turned black to him.


	2. Chapter 2

_"_ _...people live their lives bound by what they accept as correct and true... that is how they define reality. But what does it mean to be correct or true? Merely vague concepts... their reality may all be an illusion."_

 _._

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

 _._

The second time he woke up, he found himself in the hospital.

He opened his eyes and looked up to see that the ceiling was white and perceived the characteristic antiseptic smell. He felt relief. No more Tsukuyomi.

He felt relief when he realized that everything was just a bad dream.

And apparently, the dobe had found him and brought him to Konoha's hospital. He struggled to sit up. His body felt strange. Frowning, he lifted his arms. They were too skinny, and smooth. He was supposed to be bigger, and only have one arm…

His eyed widened.

"What the…"

The door opened. He looked up and a nurse came in.

"You're awake!" she said, smiling. "Hold still, let me check you over."

"What?" He asked. Not because he couldn't understand what the nurse was saying, but because he was still trying to assimilate his situation.

Fear and turmoil were two perfect words to describe what he was feeling at this very moment.

"Just sit still, Sasuke-san," the nurse said.

"What?" He asked again, scooting away from her.

"Sasuke," she said soothingly, but he was not ready to be soothed.

He looked to his arms again. They were small, like a child's, and smooth. He reached up and tugged at his hair. He had very long hair loosely collected and tied in a samurai style pony.

"No," He said. Vaguely he was aware of the nurse speaking to him but he wasn't paying attention. "No! That's not right."

Other people rushed into the room. Some chakras that he recognized from earlier and he did not want to see right now, that he did not want to have to face, especially the first one.

He stared at them, not actually seeing anything. "Where is he?" He asked, fully panicked now. "Why isn't he here? Why am I here?"

Shisui appeared next to his bed. "The ninjas that attacked you escaped," he said in a low voice. "I'm sorry."

That wasn't what he was asking. He was asking for Naruto. He didn't care about the foolery of those impostors.

This isn't real. This couldn't be real.

Shisui was dead.

Asuma was dead.

Kiba and Ino were definitely not children.

"Sasuke" The blond girl yelled out in glee. The chakra signature neared him and he sat up, not daring to look to his side. He definitely didn't want to have a panic attack like the first time. "What happened!? We were so worried when you didn't attended to our mission! Who attacked you? How are you feeling—"

"Ino, perhaps you should let him have some time to himself if you don't want him to react like the first time," Asuma called out. His tone was calm and relaxed, though not without a hint of worry. Sasuke grit his teeth as the man leaned over from his chair by the bed and tried to look at Sasuke in the eyes. "Do you remember what happened, Sasuke-Kun?"

Sasuke turned his head away towards the wall and remained silent. He heard a scoff from the other side of the room. "The idiot was probably experimenting with his Sharingan and put himself under a genjutsu," a mocking voice called out. "It's not like he hasn't done it before. The last time he was running away from an invisible giant spider while screaming like a little girl" He said with a smirk on his face. "You were lucky that team seven wasn't in the training grounds this morning or Naruto would be laughing his ass off right now. But that doesn't meant I don't tell any of this to your best friend."

"Kiba!" Asuma's voice raised. "This is a serious situation! There were traces of foreign chakra in the training grounds and we found Sasuke seriously wounded. Kotetsu and Izumo were attacked by some shinobis from otogakure."

The girl took Sasuke's hand while she watched the exchange, but he slapped her away, not daring to look at the face to those imposters. The motion caused the other two to cease their conversation, as though it was speared and killed. A tense silence pervaded as Sasuke felt four pairs of eyes fall on him—eyes that he refused to meet.

"… Sasuke," his cousin finally called out. "what is happening—"

Nothing of this is real. He kept repeating to himself.

Because in case all of this was real, this could only mean one thing… Naruto and he failed.

And this was _his_ fault.

"No," He kept saying over and over. "This isn't right. This can't be right. Please no."

"…"

"This isn't real…"

"…"

"Please"

".."

" **Naruto** … where is **he**?! Please, tell me that he is alright and this isn't m **y fault!** Please!"

They knocked him out soon after.

* * *

The third time he woke up, much to his disdain, he found himself… still alive … and still inside this _fucking_ genjutsu.

Once again, his eyes had opened. Something that shouldn't have happened the first or the second time.

Once again, he reached for his face, only to find smooth skin and none of the scars that his years with Orochimaru left.

Once again, he realized he was still in his 12-year-old body, and alive. The unbearable headache could attest to that.

He spent a while just staring at the ceiling. He didn't have to look down to know he wasn't on his right body. He could feel it. His chest was lighter, for one. His legs didn't stretch as far down the bed as they used to.

The same nurse from the first time came in.

"How are you feeling, Sasuke-san?" she asked softly—probably wary of another freak out.

"Can I have a mirror?" He asked. He had to be sure. He couldn't accept it until he saw.

She seemed startled by the request, but nodded and left. A couple minutes later, she was back with a small mirror. He grabbed it with too-small hands.

He lifted it up.

He grimaced and almost began to hyperventilate.

Not only did he have two hands, but his face was noticeably younger. It was rounder, his cheeks were delicate and his skin looked like porcelain. Had he always looked so feminine? His black hair was longer than ever before and overall he looked rather childish and… innocent. If one ignored the looming darkness in the twin black holes that were his eyes, that is.

There Uchiha Sasuke stood, a young man of 18 years who had lived a life in darkness, lies and vengeance, a man who had betrayed his friends and left his home, a man who killed his only brother, a man who by all rights, was meant to be dead. A big failure who only deserved death.

Genjutsu. It had to be.

The Mugen Tsukuyomi, maybe.

Sasuke wasn't sure that he would be able to bear the alternative to those two options.

Because what other explanation could there be?

Maybe he had just gone insane.

Actually, that would explain a lot.

Sasuke nodded to himself while thinking in that option.

Yes. If this turned out to be not the Mugen Tsukuyomi or a very strong genjutsu, then the only other logical explanation was that he had had a psychotic break at some point.

Frankly, Sasuke was a little surprised he had not had one earlier when his family was murdered by his beloved brother, or when he killed Itachi, or the torture training with Orochimaru, but he supposed that these things came on in their own time.

The nurse took the mirror away from him after a while. He let her. He didn't need it anymore.

The next thing she did was to remove his shirt to assess the wounds he have on his body, change his bandages and give him some pain medication.

He let her.

At this very moment, he didn't care about anything.

He was dead, he failed everybody.

His family… his home… his friends… his brother… Naruto…

But being honest with himself, he didn't expect any of this.

Instead of punishment for his sins and crimes, he was receiving care.

Good care. Much better than all those he had received since he was a child.

The nurse checked his vital signs and changed the bandages from a huge wound on his neck and deltoid he didn't knew he had. According to the nurse, it was a miracle that he hadn't bleed out with such wounds.

Sasuke made occasional grimaces because of the pain, but apart from that, he remained in perfect silence enjoying the moment ... he would admit that it felt very comforting to receive the care of another person and the way the nurse smiled at him, felt ... good; he closed his eyes and enjoyed for the first time in many years. A faint smile formed on his lips.

After two hours, a person knocked on the door of the room where he was resting and one of the nurses answered it.

"Oh, Uchiha-sama!"

"Yes, hello Aiko-san. Is Sasuke awake?"

The conversation continued after that point, but Sasuke wasn't listening.

He was too busy staring in shock and trying to resist the urge to call the man in the doorway. His conviction might very well break if he did so.

"Nii-San?!" Sasuke gasped.

Now he knew for a fact that this was an illusion.

Or maybe… he was dead.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

"Big brother"

"Yes, Sasuke?"

"What is this?"

"Huh, that's the hokage monument"

"What is ´Hokage´?"

"The hokage is the strongest shinobi in the village, he work very hard in order to protect our home and keep the peace and harmony between the people of konoha."

"If that is true, pretty soon, big brother, they might carve your Great Stone Face over there."

"Not everybody can become hokage, otouto."

"Nah, I know you will, cuz you are the strongest ninja in the world!"

* * *

"So this time I want to impart this true to you"

"…"

"You don't ever have to forgive me"

"…"

"And no matter what you do from here on out, know this, Sasuke…"

"…"

"I will love you always"

"…"

* * *

"…Big brother…"

"Yes, Sasuke?"

"I will see you soon"

* * *

Shortly after, there was a knock on the door of the room where he was resting and one of the nurses answered it.

"Oh, Uchiha-sama!"

"Yes, hello Aiko-san. Is Sasuke awake?"

The conversation continued after that point, but Sasuke wasn't listening.

Instead, he froze

His racing mind stopped as he registered the fact that he knew that voice. He was too busy staring in shock and trying to resist the urge to call the man in the doorway, his conviction might very well break if he did so.

It's Aniki, he remind himself, and he look up, not knowing why he even hesitated because it's his big brother, he is here… alive.

Then he remembered.

He knew that he shouldn't hesitate but he's just a product of his imagination but he's not and he—

"Nii-San..." Those words came out of his lips without being fully aware of it.

It was a slight whisper.

He looked up and he saw Aniki and he thought that he looked so young, wasn't he supposed to be bigger and taller? And he saw his concerned look even as sounds and images filled up his head _"If you want to kill me, despise me, hate me, and live in an unsightly way... Run, and cling to life, and then some day, when you have the same eyes as I do, come before me—"_ and he see him older and so tired and weary of the world and smiling one last time as he does that forehead poke— _"Forgive me, Sasuke. This will be the last time."_

The figure standing before his eyes clearly corresponded to his big brother, but a version of him that he had never seen before, with a range of facial expressions that he had only seen when they were both happy and carefree children. Well, much more mature than at the time, but nothing compared to the cold, calculating face he remembered his brother had as an S-Rank rouge ninja.

Was he dead after all?

Maybe this was the afterlife

Maybe this was an illusion. And this wasn't Itachi.

Maybe he was crazy.

"Sasuke, what happened?" Itachi's gaze was concerned, an expression he had not seen in more than a decade.

"..."

"Izumi and I have been worried trying to find out where you were; we heard from Shisui that you had an accident. He never told us exactly what happened, but he said it was serious and needed to inform the hokage" He approached Sasuke to examine him, paying special attention to the bandages on his neck and shoulder.

"Sasuke,"

He shivered as Itachi placed one hand on his shoulder.

What is happening? Sasuke thought.

"The last time I told you to stop pushing yourself too hard, I know you want to defeat Naruto and I know that defeating the son of the hokage is a praiseworthy goal, but this is no excuse to put yourself at risk."

Who is he?

He killed Itachi, he was sure he killed Itachi. What is he doing here?

A wave of chills flooded him in the depths of his being.

"The last time?" There was a slight tremble in his voice.

Maybe he was talking with a ghost

"Yes, last time." He said with tired voice. "You broke an arm trying to learn that stupid technique Obito was teaching you." Itachi frowned. "I never understood how can you be so stubborn, I mean, I know that Naruto is your friend, but don't you think that you're taking that _'rivalry'_ and a little too far? The market it still recovering from your ´ _prank war_ ´ last week"

"..."

Since when was Itachi so expressive?

He sighed deeply. "At least try to rest a little before the Chūnin exams." He continued talking. "You know that I will always be proud of you, no matter what. Just try to give your best, ok?" He smiled at him and then poked his forehead.

Although none of this made sense, the knot in his throat was getting increasingly tight; he felt his heart sank.

"Izumi almost had an anxiety attack when she found out you were in the hospital"

Sasuke remained silent as Itachi continued to talk and could feel the way he had begun to tremble, he couldn't help but tears were now uncontrollably flowing down his cheeks.

He burst out into tears as he see and realize—traitor, murderer, martyr, **mY Bi g BRr** O **t H e r**.

"Sasuke..." The older Uchiha reaches over, touching his little brother's cheek with barely concealed distress when Sasuke doesn't respond.

Then, even Itachi could not predict what would happen next

Sasuke hastened to embrace his older brother as hard as he could. He had begun to hiccup like never before.

He was afraid that his brother would disappear at any moment, he didn't care that all of this could be an illusion or just a product of his imagination.

He didn't care.

He was so tired of being lonely.

He was so tired of being sad.

He was so tired of being manipulated.

The confusion in Itachi's face was palpable, but he just responded to Sasuke's embrace, that was his duty as older brother.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" Itachi asked as he tried to separate from his little brother's embrace.

" **D** **o** N **'t l** ** _e_** a **v** **e M** e **!** " He pleaded with tears in his eyes.

"Don't worry I am not going anywhere"

Sasuke was trying to stop crying and hiccupping but he couldn't.

"It's okay Sasuke, its ok to cry." He mentioned reading the thoughts that were going through Sasuke's mind, silently stroking his black hair, walking his fingers between his hairs.

"…" He didn't answer, he couldn't answer, just remained silent in Itachi's arms.

He felt so afraid, so confused.

"It's all right, Sasuke. Just breathe slowly, I am not going anywhere…"

None of this made sense. Sasuke thought.

He was dead.

He was supposed to be dead.

There wasn't supposed to be a "waking up" for him, he wasn't supposed to feel anything or be able to see. Why? Well, that's because he died. He was supposed to be dead, a gone, without so much as a lifeless corpse left on the battlefield. He was supposed to be burning in hell.

But, if he is dead,

…why did he feel pain?

…why did he feel so sad?

If this is a genjutsu, then why does it feel so real?

If he is a genjutsu, then why people keep talking nonsense.

Why?!

If that impostor in his arms was an illusion. Why did he feel so real?!

Sasuke wasn't able to realize that he was having another panic attack.

But the voice of his brother helped him to stay focused.

"I am here... breathe slowly…"

So... if he wasn't dead or inside a genjutsu… was this the Mugen Tsukuyomi?

But,

If Sasuke truly was in the Mugen Tsukuyomi, why was he a child? It was something that he had wondered as soon as he saw his childish features. The Mugen Tsukuyomi worked around the desires of the user, the person held within the Genjutsu. The last thing Sasuke wanted was to relive his childhood, to relive the scorn he received from his father, to relive the moment his family was murdered, the pity looks from the people and living in this _fucking_ village.

No, the technique wasn't supposed to work this way.

The Mugen Tsukuyomi was supposed to be a perfect and idyllic world without pain and suffering, not _this._

If he truly were in the Mugen Tsukuyomi, as he reasoned before, this _fucking_ village wouldn't exist. Konoha would be dead and eradicated. It simply would be a forgotten element to the fire Nation that was left ignored. The fact that Konoha still existed here only pointed to one thing: he was not in the Mugen Tsukuyomi. None of this was a Genjutsu. But then, if he wasn't in a Genjutsu, where was he? What did all of this mean? Why was he put in a situation that was very much like he had been sent to an alternate version of the past?

Maybe that's exactly what happened.

If so, Sasuke thought: How?

It was at this moment that he remembered the words of his brother.

 _"_ _...people live their lives bound by what they accept as correct and true... that is how they define reality. But what does it mean to be correct or true? Merely vague concepts... their reality may all be an illusion."_

Maybe… maybe all his life was a genjutsu and this was reality.

Maybe… he had finally gone mad.

Sasuke could hear his own heart beating in his ears as he panted for breath.

These sensations, combined with the pain, added weight to his two new hypothesis.

But they also led him to a new question.

What the fuck was going on?


End file.
